MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
Every December, thousands of people run a marathon through the woods of northern Maine. They endure freezing temperatures, dress up in costumes and drink whiskey shooters. It's not just about the race, though. The runners are also there to help one small town rebound from economic devastation. Reporter Grace Benninghoff takes us there.
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GRACE BENNINGHOFF: It's 18 degrees, and Millinocket is filled with people. Runners jog up and down the street to warm up their legs, even as icicles form on their beards and ponytails. They're here to race up a slick logging road and then back through town. Money that thousands of racers bring, whether through registration donations, fundraisers or the dollars they spend at local businesses, all stays here in a town that was rocked by the closure of its largest employer, a paper mill in 2014.
TRINA VAZNIS: It was devastating, and the town - you know, we've been trying to find business to come in ever since.
BENNINGHOFF: That's Trina Vaznis, who worked at the Great Northern Paper Company for 20 years. While the 3,200 runners this year bring hope, they also have a lot to love about the race. Ben Johnson (ph) is running dressed as a beekeeper, and his friends came as bees. He's from a town about an hour away.
BEN JOHNSON: Cookie hill is my favorite. The cookies right at, like, mile 11.5, the top of a hill. Other costumes, there was a flock of deer somewhere - whole bunch of people in deer onesies. That was a lot of fun.
BENNINGHOFF: The temperature inches closer to 20 degrees as the 10 a.m. start time nears.
UNIDENTIFIED ANNOUNCER: To your starting positions.
BENNINGHOFF: A mass of runners line up behind the starting line between a logging truck and a log loader. Music flares. A gun fires. And they're off.
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BENNINGHOFF: Downtown Millinocket used to be about this busy every weekend. In the mill's heyday, about 7,500 people lived in town. Now the population is just over 4,000.
VAZNIS: You had movie theatres. You had a bowling alley. You had stores where you could buy clothes instead of the Family Dollar.
BENNINGHOFF: The Great Northern Paper Company was one of the largest paper mills in the country, and the town's economy relied on it. Scott Moscone worked at the mill for 27 years.
SCOTT MOSCONE: It was depressing. I mean, there was - everybody's house was up for sales. It was just like the rats leaving the ship. Everybody just bailed out of here, you know?
BENNINGHOFF: Gary Allen lives a few hours from Millinocket. After thousands of people lost their jobs, he knew the town needed a spark.
GARY ALLEN: I felt like I would try to do something to help because ultimately, they're our neighbors. So I showed up with an idea, very simple idea, that I and any friends I could attract would run around Millinocket for, you know, 13.1 or 26.2 miles and spend money in town.
BENNINGHOFF: And the spark ignited something. That first year, there were 52 runners. The following year, 600 showed up. Now it's a Boston Marathon qualifying race, and thousands participate every year.
ALLEN: Nobody but a crazy person would ever think this would work, that we're going to hold a marathon in frigid northern Maine in December, where the temperatures are regularly below zero, and that this many people would show up.
BENNINGHOFF: Locals are still worried about the fate of Millinocket. And while one weekend may not be enough to transform the economy, it brings something else.
MOSCONE: The town's kind of like it used to be, with a lot of people in it. Seeing the streets full of people is pretty awesome again. Reminds me of the old days.
BENNINGHOFF: Whether runners are qualifying for Boston or walking the race with friends, the event has brought a spark back to Millinocket. Until next December.
For NPR News, I'm Grace Benninghoff.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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